NEMO  Dagger 2P Tent

I'd had Nemo tent envy for a long time, and finally sprung for the 2P Dagger when my dividend came in. Things I love: - The tent is the same height at both ends; no one gets stuck with a low ceiling - The poles are the same on both ends; never get confused in cold/windy conditions - The fly clips on, rather than slipping under the poles (saves cold fingers) - The clips come on and off easily, making setup and breakdown super simple - The fly cinches down super tight, reducing noise - The color looks super cool in in-tents photos

We used our new NEMO Dagger tent for the first time and put it through the weather test. It's a tad bit smaller than our Half Dome but it wasn't cramped at all. I had plenty of room to stretch out,(I'm 6 foot) and had lots of head room. A big rainstorm came in during the night and had no leak issues at all. The Vestibule is very roomy, it's a little low to duck under when climbing in and out but that's my only small gripe about this overall great tent.

I bought this tent after hours of research, and chose it over some other great options. At the end of the day this tent is among the lightest around in its class, and offers the most room. It packs down small. The quality and design are excellent. Materials are durable. It's clearly built to last. The pole design is unbelievable simple. The fly covers very well; which when combined with the bathtub floor design makes it water tight in foul weather. The vestibules offer lots of room. And the fly vents and numerous guy out points offer great ventilation making condensation a non issue. And although rated as three season, I've found it to perform very well in winter weather. I am taking it to isle royale in the near future and cannot wait. I simply can't say a negative word about this tent.

The dagger 2p made me a convert after years of purchasing Big Agnes. I grew tired of the 52/42" 2p floors, and wanted a more usable space for two people on 25" pads sleeping head-to-head or head-to-toe. This falls right in the same weight class as the copper spur but offers a huge symmetrical floor and enough height/length for a 6'6" backpacker. I was originally detered by the translucent silnylon sidewalls (I prefer mesh), but the walls make it so you can keep half of the vestibule rolled up in most conditions, saving a couple of stakes and allowing you to keep a view of outside even in the rain. Even with half of the vestibule open you have room for your pack and boots. The included stakes are pretty flimsy and I swapped them out with orange DAC j-stakes from eastern mountain sports. This tent comes with an ultralight compression sack which packs the tent down to about football size (poles separate). The poles are DAC feather lite and are thicker in diameter than most, and the pole design is strong, creating a VERY sturdy structure for the weight

I purchased this tent at the beginning of the year as a bike packing tent. I was using the Obi 2P and found it light but tight. The Dagger is only a few ounces more and is supper roomy. The crossbar on top makes all the difference. It opens up the whole upper part of the tent. I also love all the rainfly configurations that are possible. I like storing stuff on one side and opening the other side up for a great view. Got mine with the 20% off and my rebate to diffuse the expensive price tag. I am a true fan of Nemo!

My girlfriend and I used this on our trek of the "O" Circuit through Torres Del Paine in Patagonia and it served us well. We were skepticall about using a 3-season tent as the area is known for high winds but we had no issues. There were times of high anxiety in the middle of the night as the wind ripped through our campsite and I was amazed at how well the tent held up considering the lightweight material.

I purchased this tent for backpacking because it was lightweight but I also wanted it to handle some serious weather and rain here in Alaska where I live. So far I have tested it only a couple times, but it seems up to the task. I do have a complaint about the Jake's Feet. One popped off and got lost somehow as I was taking down my tent after the very first use in the backcountry. Then when I tried to order a replacement from Nemo online the cheapest option for shipping to Alaska was $25. I was not a "happy camper" at that point. If you buy this tent make sure you keep track of the Jake's feet. They are small and easy to lose, at least for my they were. I have now tied all four to my tent with some light string to avoid losing them in the future.

I just finished a six day hike on the AT and this tent was one of the best 3 season tents I have ever used. It held up in the wind and rain one night keeping me warm and dry. The tent is easy to setup and take down solo. The double vestibules gives you plenty of space for gear out of the weather. Users do need to figure out the vents on each side of the the rain fly so that you can open them up and prevent condensation in the tent.

I heavily researched two and three person backpacking tents and the NEMO Dagger 2P and 3P were at the top of my list along with the MSR Hubba Hubba NX (2 person) and MSR Motha Hubba NX (3 person). I initially purchased the Dagger 2P (didn't feel I needed the extra space/expense of the 3P) and set it up at home. Every tent is a compromise, but there is much to like about the Dagger tents. I believe that they are the best combination of floor space, vestibule space, weight, material durability, and packed size. The optional "paw print" liner for inside the tent is a great feature for those who hike with their pooch. The tent sets up quickly and easily, and is a pleasing color, especially for Eastern camping. I really like this tent! I initially believed that a minimalist pitch (NEMO calls it On the Fly) and a dry pitch were not possible, as the Jake's Feet plastic connectors are attached to the tent body corners. The poles have ball ends that fit into the sockets in the plastic connectors. This helps a bit with setup, as the poles lock in place so they don't pop out while hooking up the other corners. This feature doesn't really matter to me, as I never had much trouble with grommets/straps. The rainfly has plastic clips that attach to a separate portion of the corner connectors, as does the optional footprint. Every other tent I have owned and pitched uses metal grommets in fabric straps at the corners, and I don't feel the advantages of the Jake's feet are great enough to warrant their use. I originally thought that the tent body must be pitched first, but a phone call to Kendall at NEMO taught me that the Jake's feet can be removed and then attached to the footprint. The poles and then rainfly could be attached after that. One could stop there for the On-the-Fly pitch, or work under the fly to set the tent body up in rainy weather. My one issue is that if one of those plastic corner pieces breaks, I see no way to effect a field repair so the tent can still be used. If one breaks one 20 miles in on a trail, it will be quite a bummer! In NEMO's defense, Kendall told me that the only broken Jake's foot he is aware of happened when a car ran a tent over! NEMO offers them separately on their website under "Spare Parts", so if you are the kind of person that loses small items, you may wish to purchase another set and pack them separately from the tent. The only true competitor to the Dagger 2P in my opinion is the MSR Hubba Hubba NX, whose minimum trail weight is 2 oz heavier (according to REI). While the Hubba Hubba NX is 6" shorter, the design is such that the end walls pitch nearly vertical for the lower foot or so, rather than slanting upwards immediately from the base. This makes the effective length of the Hubba Hubba NX closer to the Dagger 2P. I've pitched both and you can look for my review on the MSR tent to see what I think. The Dagger 2P vestibules are significantly larger than the MSR, which is great for keeping packs out of the weather. I ended up with the Hubba Hubba NX because I did not initially understand that the Jake's feet were removable. Like most backpacking tents, a 2 person Dagger 2P or Hubba Hubba NX will be quite snug for two. But being the gearhead that I am, I love these tents for solo backpacking, as I like to have some space next to me for my pack and clothes. Had I not already used the Hubba Hubba NX on the trail, I would return it and get the Dagger 2P, though.

I used this tent on a camping trip in Death Valley National Park recently, and overall was very happy with it. Setup is quick and easy, though packing it back up is a little harder due to the non-rectangular shape. Its light, and packs quite easily. Cons: - If you're a larger person (or two larger people) this might not be big enough for 2. I'm 6'1/190lbs and sharing this with someone else would have been seriously cozy. - The netting/venting on the sides will let dust/sand in under high wind conditions, though this is likely the case with almost all 3-season tents.